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I’ve said this many times, but almost everything about my last pregnancy and the first year of Polly’s life, has been so very different from the big girls. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I think my age and plenty of life experience has something to do with it. I’m more sentimental than ever, but also completely relaxed. We really have let Polly lead in all things, including how we introduced solids.
I followed the advice of my pediatrician the first two times — we started cereal around four months and introduced traditional baby food shortly thereafter. We tried fruits and veggies and gross combinations and, although we tried really hard to cultivate good eaters, we failed. The older the girls get, the more willing to try new foods they are, but we had the pickiest of toddlers and I was determined not to go down that road again.
When my pediatrician suggested cereals for Polly, I politely declined, and we continued to exclusively breastfeed until closer to six months. I picked up Baby Led Weaning at the suggestion of a friend and, I swear, I devoured the book in a matter of hours. Not only did it give great advice on how to introduce solids (i.e. table foods), but it carefully laid out the science behind why it works and made me a much more confident parent.
This week on the Birmingham Mom’s Collective blog, I’m sharing an Introduction to Infant Self Feeding — often called Baby Led Weaning — including what it is, why we did it, great options for baby’s first food, and plenty of messy faced Polly pictures. Below you’ll find a sample day in the life of Polly’s meals, along with a fifteen minute video progression of her feeding skills and a list of our favorite foods + products.
Mealtime Videos
I started filming Polly’s meals as a part of our monthly video project, but I quickly realized it would be fun to compile them for a feeding post later in the year. It’s so funny to watch how her skills have progressed — she went from playing with her food to eating everything in sight, in a matter of days.
A Day in the Life
To better demonstrate the kinds of food Polly is eating and the volume that she’s ingesting, I documented everything she ate on a Sunday, a few weeks ago. Some days she picks at her food, but most of the time we’re impressed by the sheer amount she manages to consume. We allow her to self-regulate her portions and continue to offer food as long as she’s eating. We’ve learned to recognize her feeding cues — she smacks her lips and sometimes says more if she’s still hungry and starts sweeping her food into the floor when she’s full!
6:45 a.m. — Polly typically wakes up between 6:30 and 7, so this was pretty typical. She’s always eager to nurse immediately, but once she’s taken the edge off her hunger, she’ll play for a bit before a slightly longer nursing session. After nursing, we almost always play outside for a half hour before breakfast.
8:00 a.m. — Breakfast today was half of an unsalted rice cake with peanut butter, a whole banana, a yogurt pouch that includes fruit, oats and chia seeds, and several ounces of water from her sippy cup. We often swap out the rice cake for a whole wheat waffle or the occasional cereal bar, but otherwise this is a very typical breakfast.
8:30 a.m. — Soon after breakfast, she’s ready for her first nap of the day. She typically sleeps two hours, morning and afternoon, but this day she only slept an hour before playing in her bed for a bit.
10:30 a.m. — Playtime with her sisters, while Josh and I ate breakfast and did some yard work. She did eat a few bites of his cheese toast and I offered a few dry cheerios while she played in the floor.
12:00 p.m. — Her lunches almost always follow the “protein + fruit + cheese + veggie pouch” template, unless she’s having leftovers. We were getting close to the end of our grocery week, so our options this day were somewhat limited. She had mini pepperoni (more often than not we do deli turkey or leftover chicken, but she does love these on occasion), Colby jack cheese, orange wedges, and a veggie pouch with spinach, apple, raspberry and Greek yogurt. She didn’t drink as much water with her lunch, but she had been sipping on and off all morning.
12:30 p.m. — She took another short nap after lunch — only an hour and a half — but she woke up happy, so we’ll call it a win.
2:00 p.m. — More time for toys, but Josh and I were both inside by this point. He entertained her while I cleaned and ate another piece of cheese to keep her from begging for my Oreos.
3:00 p.m. — We spent another hour outside, swinging on my parents’ porch, until she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She only takes a third nap occasionally, but we put her down for another 45 minutes, after we came back inside.
5:30 p.m. — I made spaghetti for dinner, with red lentil noodles and meat sauce, which is always a huge hit. She was double-fisting noodles and begging for “mo!”
7:00 p.m. — We usually squeeze in one more nursing session before bed, but the length of it depends on how tired or distracted she is, at the moment. I get the best results from nursing in her room, in the dark, but we have to see where Sophie is in her evening routine first (they share a room).
7:30 p.m. — Polly has a firm bedtime, but often ends up in her pack n play a little early. She rarely cries or protests at all, and is happy to snuggle with her stuffed bird before bed. She slept ten and a half hours that night!
Our Favorite Feeding Products
You can absolute skip all of the fancy products when it comes to feeding babies — all you really need is a baby and some food! — but these are a few items we’ve purchased over the last six months, that have made a huge difference at meal time.
Baby Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods ($9) | I first read this book when I was pregnant and then relied heavily on it during our first few weeks of solid foods. It gives so much valuable information on your baby’s anatomy, the gag reflex, how to help, and which foods to introduce first. I gained so much confidence from reading this book and have since passed it on to my mama friends.
Mountain Buggy Pod Clip-On Highchair ($60) | We started with the IKEA high chair, but since we eat most of our meals at the kitchen counter, a clip on highchair seemed ideal. It’s easy to travel with (we carry it to restaurants all the time!) and even easier to clean.
Silicone Placemats ($9 for two) | I picked up a single place mat at Walmart, but these solid mats from Munchkin are way cuter and cheaper, too. Josh is a little crazy when it comes to Polly eating off of strange tables, so we pack this with us wherever we go. Since our kitchen counter is wooden, this also makes clean up much easier.
Bumpkins Sleeved Bib ($13) | We have a few standard bibs, but this long sleeved version is our favorite. It keeps Polly’s clothes clean and, since it ties around the neck, she can’t rip it of mid-meal.
Chewtensils ($15) | We’ve since graduated to more typical infant flatware, but these were so great when we were first getting started. They have really short handles, gag guards to keep them in the right spot, and the silicone makes them even easier to use. We would preload these and lay them on her tray to pick up.
Silicone Suction Plate ($14) | We don’t always use a plate for Polly at meal time, but this one suctions to the high chair tray and keeps her from tossing her cookies… literally.
Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup ($15 for two) | We have several different trainer cups, but these are my favorite. We serve water at every meal and these are easy for her to use without assistance.
Brandless Fruit & Veggies Pouches ($4 for four) | These pouches are the most inexpensive and have very simple ingredients. I typically only order these when I need to add a few items to get free shipping, but Polly does love them. Save $6 on your first order.
Plum Organics Fruit & Veggie Pouches ($22 for eighteen) | These are closer to $1.35 at the grocery store, but they have a great variety of flavors and I love that the pouches are transparent.
Happy Baby Fruit & Yogurt Pouches ($21 for sixteen) | You can find these in the refrigerated section at your grocery store. I love that they pair yogurt with fruit, granola, and chia seeds for a more complex breakfast.
Happy Baby Organic Yogurt Bites ($4) | Aside from Honey Nut Cheerios, these are our go-to diaper bag snack!
